Method for inducing viral resistance into a plant

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method for inducing resistance to a virus comprising a TGB3 sequence with the proviso that it is not the potato virus X, into a plant cell or plant, comprising the following steps: preparing a nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid sequence corresponding to at least 70% of the nucleic acid sequence of TGB3 of said virus or its corresponding cDNA, being operably linked to one or more regulatory sequence(s) active in a plant, transforming a plant cell with the nucleic acid construct, and possibly regenerating a transgenic plant from the transformed plant cell. The present invention is also related to the plant obtained.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A method for inducing resistance to a furovirus comprising a triple gene block 3 sequence with the proviso that it is not the potato virus X, in a plant cell or a plant, comprising: 
       preparing a nucleic acid construct comprising: a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: the nucleic acid sequence corresponding to a triple gene block 3 of said furovirus, its corresponding cDNA, a deletion mutant containing a 3′ truncation, wherein said deletion mutant comprises at least 70% of said nucleic acid sequence and wherein said deletion mutant has 30% or fewer of the sequences at its 3′ end deleted and retains the activity of said triple gene block 3, or a homolog or mutant wherein said homolog or mutant is 70% homologous to said nucleic acid sequence and wherein said homolog or mutant retains the activity of said triple gene block 3, said nucleic acid construct being operably linked to one or more regulatory sequence(s) active in a plant; and  
       transforming a plant cell with the nucleic acid construct.  
     
     
       2. The method according to claim  1 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence of the deletion mutant comprises at least 90% of said nucleic acid sequence and wherein said deletion mutant has 10% or fewer of the sequences at its 3′ end deleted and retains the activity of said triple gene block 3, and wherein said homolog or mutant is at least 90% homologous to the nucleic acid sequence of said triple gene block 3 of said furovirus or its corresponding cDNA and wherein said homolog or mutant retains the activity of said triple gene block 3. 
     
     
       3. The method according to claim  1  wherein the furovirus is selected from the group consisting of the apple stem pitting virus, the blueberry scorch virus, the potato virus M, the white clover mosaic virus, the Cymbidium mosaic virus, the barley stripe mosaic virus, the potato mop top virus, the peanut clump virus and the beet soil-borne virus. 
     
     
       4. The method according to claim  1 , wherein the plant cell is a stomatal cell. 
     
     
       5. The method according to claim  1 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of apple, blueberry, potato, clover, orchid, barley and peanut. 
     
     
       6. The method according to claim  1  wherein the furovirus is BNYVV, the nucleic acid sequence of triple gene block 3 of said virus comprised SEQ ID NO:1 and the plant is a beet. 
     
     
       7. The method according to claim  1 , wherein the regulatory sequence comprises a promoter sequence or a terminator sequence active in a plant. 
     
     
       8. The method according to claim  7 , wherein the promoter sequence is a constitutive or a foreign vegetal promoter sequence. 
     
     
       9. The method according to claim  7 , wherein the promoter sequence is selected from the group consisting of 35S Cauliflower Mosaic Virus promoter, the polyubiquitin Arabidopsis thaliana promoter, and a combination of 35S Cauliflower Mosaic Virus promoter and the polyubiquitin Arabidopsis thaliana promoter. 
     
     
       10. The method according to claim  7 , wherein the promoter sequence is a promoter which is mainly active in the root tissue of plants. 
     
     
       11. A transgenic plant resistant to a furovirus with the proviso that it is not the potato virus X, comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: the nucleic acid sequence corresponding to a triple gene block 3 of said furovirus, its corresponding cDNA, a deletion mutant containing a 3′ truncation, wherein said deletion mutant comprises at least 70% of said nucleic acid sequence and wherein said deletion mutant has 30% or fewer of the sequences at its 3′ end deleted and retains the activity of triple gene block 3, or a homolog or mutant wherein said homolog or mutant is 70% homologous to said nucleic acid sequence and wherein said homolog or mutant retains the activity of triple gene block 3, being operably linked to one or more regulatory sequence(s) active in a plant and wherein said homolog or mutant retains the activity of triple gene block 3. 
     
     
       12. The transgenic plant according to claim  11 , wherein the nucleic acid sequence of the deletion mutant comprises at least 90% of said nucleic acid sequence and wherein said deletion mutant has 10% or fewer of the sequences at its 3′ end deleted and retains the activity of triple gene block 3, and wherein said homolog or mutant is at least 90% homologous to the nucleic acid sequence of triple gene block 3 of said furovirus or its corresponding cDNA and wherein said homolog or mutant retains the activity of triple gene block 3. 
     
     
       13. The transgenic plant according to claim  11 , wherein the virus is selected from the group consisting of the apple stem pitting virus, the blueberry scorch virus, the potato virus M, the white clover mosaic virus, the  Cymbidium mosaic  virus, the potato virus X, the barley stripe mosaic virus, the potato mop top virus, the peanut clump virus and the beet soil-borne virus. 
     
     
       14. The transgenic plant according to claim  11 , wherein the plant is selected from the group consisting of apple, blueberry, potato, clover, orchid, barley and peanut. 
     
     
       15. The transgenic plant according to claim  11 , wherein the transgenic plant is a beet, the virus is BNYVV and the nucleic acid sequence of triple gene block 3 of said virus comprises SEQ ID NO:1. 
     
     
       16. The transgenic plant according to claim  11 , wherein the regulatory sequence comprises a promoter sequence and a terminator sequence active in a plant. 
     
     
       17. The transgenic plant according to claim  11 , wherein the regulatory sequence(s) comprise a promoter sequence which is a constitutive or a foreign vegetal promoter sequence. 
     
     
       18. The transgenic plant according to claim  17 , wherein the promoter sequence is selected from the group consisting of 35S Cauliflower Mosaic Virus promoter, the polyubiquitin Arabidopsis thaliana promoters and a combination of 35S Cauliflower Mosaic Virus promoter and the polyubiguitin Arabidopsis thaliana promoter. 
     
     
       19. The transgenic plant according to claim  17 , wherein the promoter sequence is a promoter which is mainly active in root tissues. 
     
     
       20. A transgenic plant tissue selected from the group consisting of fruit, stem, root, tuber, and seed of a plant according to claim  11 . 
     
     
       21. The method according to claim  1 , additionally comprising regenerating a transgenic plant from the transformed plant cell. 
     
     
       22. The method according to claim  6 , wherein the plant is a sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris ). 
     
     
       23. The method according to claim  10 , wherein the promoter is the par promoter of the haemoglobin gene from Perosponia andersonii. 
     
     
       24. The transgenic plant according to claim  15 , wherein the transgenic plant is a sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris ). 
     
     
       25. The transgenic plant according to claim  19 , wherein the promoter is the par promoter of the haemoglobin gene from Perosponia andersonii. 
     
     
       26. The method according to claim  1 , wherein the plant is a beet.